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Phone: 215-546-7000

Street Address: 1208 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

* BASIC * Not very comfortable. This and the "Society Hill Hotel" should be the least expensive Center City Hotels. If they aren't, then the price is too high.

Rates: $69 to $189 as of December 2004

Location Rating: Excellent. Very close to City Hall and places like the Kimmel Center, with its unusual, giant, half-pipe glass roof. The Forrest Theater is down the block. Plus Wills Eye Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Many shops, bars and restaurants are here. This is a prosperous part of the city.

Lobby Appearance: Small. They have a gas fireplace and a television. The lobby is not a place you would hang-out in to relax.

Room Appearance: The gentleman at the front desk hesitated to show his rooms, citing coming improvement efforts. Walking the corridors was a bit of a surprise for me. More below.

Useful Nearby Businesses: There is a lot here. One good cafe nearby is "Cosi." You can walk there in 60 seconds. Another nearby spot is "Irish Pub."

Hotel Restaurants: None. But they do have a breakfast room on the second floor and a continental breakfast is included.

Other Amenities: Guests can get discounted parking at the rate of $10.50 per day (cheap). Electronic entry door locks to guest rooms. Free local phone calls (very local - covers a very small geographic area). In-room coffee maker. Wireless internet. Telephone with data port. Suites have 2 telephones. Hair dryer. Iron. Ironing board.

Would I Stay Here? Yes, but only if I got a really good price and did not feel a need for great comfort.

Comments: The Rodeway Inn has 32 rooms, all with queen-sized beds. I saw three of these rooms. Of these, one had two queen-sized beds plus a 25 inch television, and I saw one very cramped room with a 19 inch television. They do not have their own fitness center, but through being a guest of the hotel, you can go to the nearby 12th Street gym for a workout at a price of $12.

And now for the rough part: I didn't like this hotel. It is in a very old building that appears to never have been gutted. I was told that the rooms were renovated 3 years ago. If so, it was just a cosmetic makeover. They didn't rip down walls and make everything new. An old building can be made to seem like it is new. But here, you definitely know you are in an old building. I was surprised at how narrow some parts of the corridors were. The entrance to the elevator is quite tight. Somebody who is obese is going to have difficulty getting into the elevator. Their website says: "Elevator replacement/maintenance is scheduled to begin 01/02/2005 through 01/31/2005. Elevator will be completely shut down."

Although the rooms have things like irons and ironing boards and things, it doesn't make the rooms newer. They look old. The hotel is basic - a lower class, although clean. If I paid a lot to stay here, I would definitely feel taken.

I think if you are looking for a cheap place to stay in an excellent location and can tolerate having a basic room, instead of something with modern luxury, then this might be one to consider - if you can get a bargain rate. I was told they have all kinds of discounts for various groups like seniors, military people, AAA members and others.

If you are doing a romantic get-away, this is not the hotel.

Since the hotel is affiliated with a national brand and is well-located on prosperous Walnut Street, I had high expectations of finding a quaint, quality facility. I was negatively surprised. To me, the rooms are not comfortable. I didn't like the old feel of the corridors. The rooms are not a place that would make me feel refreshed. The rooms feel dated and lower class compared to most other hotel rooms in this area. To be clear: Although this is a lower grade hotel, it is not of the lowest grade.

There are two other things which are bugging me:

1. Their website says they have "FREE" local calls. There is very heavy emphasis on this. At the hotel, material at the front desk says that only 2 exchanges are free - I believe one starts with "500" and one starts with "508" or something like that. (Any other local or long distance calls are 45 cents per minute.) To me, this is a dirty trick. It's unethical AND IT BURNS ME UP! It isn't right. What it means is there are really very few areas in the city you can call which are free. It would be more appropriate if they worded it "Free local calls to a limited local area." In comparison, the Red Roof Inn near the airport also offers free local calls, and calls at that hotel are free to 185 local exchanges.

2. Their website features this wording: "This gracious family operated Victorian Inn is an attractive alternative awaiting business and pleasure travelers alike."